Weft-replenishing mechanism



Patented Oct. 5, 929,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. C. A. WENNING. WEFT REPLENISHING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED AUG.4, 1914. RENEWED JULY 6. I920.

Patented Oct, 5, 19206 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. C. WENNING. WEFT REPLENISHING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED AUG-4, i914. RENEWED JULY 6, I920.

Pafienitefl Get. 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 J. .c. A. WENNING. WEFT REFLENISHI NG MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED AUG.4 914- RENEWED JULY 6, I920. 1 355,022 Patenibefl 0015. 5, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J EAN CHARLES ALFRED VIENNING, 0F MT lLI-IAUSEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO ELSAS- SISCI-IE MASCHINENBAU GESELLSCI-IAFT, OF MIl'LI-IAUSEN, ALS'ACE LORRAINE,

GERMANY.

WEFT-REPLENISHING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

Application filed August 4, 1914, Serial No. 854,961. Renewed. J'uly s, 1920. Serial No. 394,233.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEAN CHARLns ALFRED IVENNING, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at 52 Volkensbergstrasse, Miilhausen, Alsace-Lorraine, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l/Veft- Replenishing Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention.

This invention relates to weft replenishing mechanism, and especially to means for holding and prop'erly tensioning the ends of the weft threads while they are in the cop magazine, at the same time causing an automatic separation of the thread ends of the forward cops, so as to enable the loom tender to readily supervise the replenishing operation and to select and sever the thread end at a suitable time after the first pick or a number of picks.

To this end I providemeans acting as a slack takeup, todraw the threads over at least two friction edges or surfaces thereby causing at least two bends in each thread end, and thereby causing resistance to the drawing of the threads by such bends. I also provide for the automatic reduction of the number of bends, and consequently of -thread, either by hand or otherwise, until the shuttle has made the first shot or two, in order to prevent this thread end from following/the shuttle to a greater or less extent.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, a. represents a portion of the cop magazine, which, for illustrating my invention may consist of suitable rails at, having a general downward inclination to the shuttle, indicated at Z in dotted lines. On these rails travel or slide by gravity, or otherwise, the clips 0 in which the cops b are held.

At the proper position with relation to the hammer is or other device the full oops I) are forced downward out of the clips 0 and into the shuttle Z and preferably simultaneously eject the empty cop spindle.

Adjacent the end of the path of the cops in the magazine a I place a funnel-like or substantially conical trough-like filler member (Z of sheet metal, open at the top and having one side substantially parallel to the cop spindles in the magazine and continued into an edge (Z bent over the bottom of the member 03 so as to prevent the thread ends from riding up the rear wall and leaving said member.

The larger end of this member (5 is directed toward the oops I) and the smaller end (Z is provided with a finger d somewhat more sharply bent over the bottom of the member d as shown.

Mounted in a suitable position above the funnel-shaped guide (Z is a spindle or windsleeve f having on its base a friction disk 9 that'is acted upon by friction wheel 'h, preferably leather faced. This wheel is 'mounted on a shaft 91 driven by a cord pulley 0 or otherwise suitably driven. The

friction wheel 71. is adjustable on its shaft 2' to and from the center of the disk 9.

The ends of the cop threads (2, e a &c..

in the magazine are gathered together, bent around the edge at of the funnel-shaped element or guide d along its rear wall, and then bent around the other edge and under the finger (Z and carried to the spindle or sleeve 7 that is frictionally driven. The force exerted by spindle f is just sufficient to maintain all the thread ends under tens1on.

As the cops 6 pass the larger end of the guide (Zi. 6., the rear wall thereof, which is substantially parallel with the cop spindles0ne bend at d is automatically removed and the threads lie in straight lines from the cops to the edge (Z and thus become automatically separated from the thread ends of the other cops. At the same time the foremost cops indicated at 6', e e

momentarily on all the thread ends.

are moved to the left of the point cZ so that their thread ends reach in a straight line to the point (P, these thread ends-will begin to lengthen by reason of the fact that'in those cops that are in advance of and are traveling toward the point cl the thread b in the magazine to insert it into the shuttle, the pull on the threao c is preferably suiiicient to oppositely rotate the spindle f suflicient to enable the insertion of the cop in the shuttle without breaking the thread. The hammer stroke is sudden, and by reason of the thread endof the cop being inserted lying under the spindle tip, this thread does not unwind during the insertion, and consequently the spindle f is momentarily re versely rotated relieving the tension mo- As soon as the hammer returns to normal position the other cops in the magazine move forward and the slack of the several threads ends is then taken up by the spindle f resuming its rotation, after which the tension of the thread ends prevents the spindle from further rotation.

thread to enable said thread to be taken and tensioned with the other-thread ends the pull of spindle will cause the last turn of thread on the forward cops to assume a high pitch with'respect to the body windings of-the cops. The anglewhich the last turn of the thread on the cop makes with the body turns thereof will depend on the additional amount of thread required to enable the thread ends of the forward cops to be taken up with the thread ends of the other cops.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have illustrated a guide funnelor cone din which the cop thread ends 0 pass over-the edge d as before, and thence over the forward edge cl? of the front wall to a tension or holding device it of well known construction. On that portion of the thread ends between (Z and n is placed a weight m.

When the last cop Z) in the magazine ais inserted the weight on is raised slightly 7 and then again falls.

In this arrangement the tension on the thread is notso great, because the deviation from a straight line is not so great, and consequently may be used on more delicate threads.

The means for keeping a uniform tension on the thread ends may be varied according At this time if the few forward cops have not released sufficient to the requirements of particular installations without departing from my invention.

I claim:

1. In replenishing mechanism having a cop-magazine; guide means adjacent the magazine to guide the bunched thread ends of all the cops, and means 'commonto all the thread ends to exert a constant yielding tension thereon, said tension extending to all of the cops, said guide means arranged to permit the automatic separation of the thread-ends of a few of the forward cops from the assembled thread ends as the cops are progressed in said magazine, saidtensioning means taking up the slack in the ends while thecops are'in the magazine.

2. The combination with replenishing mechanism having a cop-magazine: of guide means for the bunched thread ends of all friction on the forward cop thread ends is reduced for the replenishing operation.

3. In replenishing mechanism, a cop magazine, guide means adjacent said magazine to guide and aroundwhich the bunched thread ends of the cops are bent, means to maintain tension on the bunched thread ends,

said tension extending over the entire length of the thread ends to the cops as they pass over said guide means, said guide means permitting the threads of the forward cops to become automatically separated from the remaining bunched threads, and also permitting the simultaneous decrease in the number of bends in said forward threads.

4:. The combination'with the cop magazine of a weft replenishing mechanism; of a conical trough-like member located adj acent one side of the magazine near its delivery endwith the larger end of said member opposite the foremost cops in the magazine and means beyond the smaller end of said member to exert a constant tension on the weft ends, said weft ends being bunched rear Wall of said member, the weft ends of the forward cops being guided by said member as they are automatically separated from the bunched ends during the forward movement of the cops in said magazine and take-up means common to all the threads including mechanism to yield upon a pull on one of the threads.

6. The combination with the cop magazine of weft replenishing mechanism; of a conical trough-like member whose larger end is opposite the position of the last few cops in the magazine,.and whose rear wall is substantially parallel to the cop spindles,

and a tension device beyond said means to exert a tension on the cop thread ends after passing through said member, whereby said member will produce a plurality of bends in the thread, the number of bends decreasing as the cops progress past said larger ends.

7. In a replenishing mechanism having a cop magazine; guide means adjacent there to having two points in spaced relation, arranged to the rear of the feeding position and between which thread ends are maintained bunched, a thread take-up beyond said means to exert a constant tension on the thread ends up to their respective cops, said points effecting two bends in the threads of the rearward cops, one of said bends being automatically eliminated as the cops proceed to feeding position with a simultaneous separation of the forward threads from the bunch, whereby the friction due to one of said bends and the friction on the remaining threads in the bunch is automatically eliminated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J EAN CHARLES ALFRED WENNING. 

